SFPS Adelante Program

Overview

The Santa Fe Public Schools Adelante Program provides services for children, teens, and their families experiencing homelessness in Santa Fe. We provide them with advocacy, tutoring, evening programs, and material aid. SFPS Adelante also plays a crucial role in educating the community about child homelessness, and advocates for our families’ needs with schools, human service agencies, and the community at large.

Responsibilities
We provide leadership in promoting local and national policies toward ending child homelessness and resolving inaccurate beliefs about homelessness within our Santa Fe Community. Our biggest passion is supporting our clients to express themselves creatively and work toward a successful, empowered life beyond their homeless situation.

Students in the Adelante Program may be living in the following situations:

Children, teens, and their families staying in shelters, on the streets, in cars, or camping due to domestic violence, abuse, addiction, sexual orientation, or other challenges;

Children living with someone other than their parent or permanent guardian;

Families living in substandard housing;

Families being evicted or with disconnected utilities;

Youth who have run away or been kicked out; and

Families who have “doubled up” with other families in tight living situations, since they can’t afford a place of their own.

Services provided by the Adelante Program

The SFPS Adelante program provides the following types of services:

Access to school clothing, school supplies, and backpacks;

Free tutoring for our students;

Referrals and linkages for mental health, housing, medical, and other social service needs;

Case management;

Advocacy to ensure that students receive free lunch, access to field trips, quality after school care, and access to appropriate transportation to school;

Collaboration with other agencies to provide seamless support for children, youth, and families experiencing homelessness;

The Juntos Project, which includes free weekly dinners for families experiencing unstable housing situations, parent/adult education classes, and art classes for the children;

Out-of-School Time Program assistance;

Food Pantry;

Emergency Funds to respond to families’ financial emergencies.

This program is generously supported by funds from the City of Santa Fe Children and Youth Commission, NM McKinney-Vento, McCune Charitable Foundation, Brindle Foundation, Santa Fe Community Foundation, Community Development Block Grants, Anchorum St. Vincent Impact Grant, and Title One Funds, as well many community members.

We are winners of the Santa Fe Community Foundation Pinon Award, NewMexicoWomen.Org Chispa Award and 100 Women who Care. We are also represented on the boards of One Door Campus, Youth Works, the Housing Advocacy Coalition and the City of Santa Fe Immigration Committee. We also founded and run the region’s only Homeless Children and Youth Task force, which has been running for 14 years.